2021-03-31

The art of architecture and winemaking. The Lahofer development, featuring ALUPROF systems

The Lahofer is the newest architectural jewel in the Czech Republic’s crown and another vineyard belonging to one of the largest wine producers in the Moravian region and the country in general. To carry out the development, Lahofer chose the highest quality materials in the form of aluminium façade systems by ALUPROF, as well as setting up a working relationship with the young generation of designers from international company CHYBIK + KRISTOF ARCHITECTS & URBAN DESIGNERS.

Czech wine and Lahofer in Dobšice in the district of Znojmo

The wine-drinking culture in the Czech Republic has been redefined in recent years, while the winemaking tradition of the Moravian region and the country in general is enjoying a new heyday. One superb example of the industry’s adaptation is the latest development undertaken by Lahofer, the third largest grape grower in Moravia. It features innovative solutions by one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of aluminium systems for the construction industry, ALUPROF S.A.

The new Lahofer building is located in the Znojmo district in the South Moravian region. It was completed in 2020 and is part of a four-hundred-and-thirty-hectare vineyard. The entire structure covers an area of three thousand, eight hundred and forty-two square metres and forms a complex consisting of three connected buildings. They house a winemaking and distribution zone and a public area accessed from the amphitheatre situated on the roof. The demanding structure was created using modular columns. It echoes the rows of vines in a composition which harmonises with the region’s sloping landscape. The ribbed concept of the interior creates an equally striking, vaulted space which calls to mind the traditional form of Czech cellars.

CHYBIK + KRISTOF ARCHITECTS & URBAN DESIGNERS innovative design

The design by CHYBIK + KRISTOF ARCHITECTS & URBAN DESIGNERS has been nominated for the 2022 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, the Mies van der Rohe Award, one of the most prestigious architectural honours in the world. The only materials and products that the designers and Lahofer considered were those which met the most rigorous technical conditions. The outcome was that ALUPROF’s MB-86SI and MB-SR50N systems, which provide windows and doors with high thermal isolation, energy-saving and watertightness parameters, were chosen.

Carefully selected materials by ALUPROF

When the materials were being chosen, two aspects which turned out to be of the essence were flexibility and the potential for experimenting with form. The ALUPROF MB-SR50N mullion and transom curtain wall system and MB-86SI window and door system with thermal break not only brought their technical qualities to the table. They also fitted in perfectly with the aesthetic concept for the buildings.

Tomáš Buček, Project Business Manager for ALUPROF SYSTEM CZECH s.r.o. provides more detail:

The shape of the MB-SR50N system’s mullions and transoms made it possible to build a state-of-the-art façade with visible, slender dividing lines. It provides a solid, hard-wearing structure and also made it easier both to create a harmonious fusion of various offices and the visitors’ area and to enlarge the space optically. The high durability of the MB-86SI window and door profiles, which were used in various parts of the building, including the formal area, made it possible to build large-scale windows… and that means the building has become an integral element of the natural world around it, creating the effect of an open space.